Matters Of Pride
by Chiquinta
Summary: Tc works on a case to find a missing mother and child.


Disclaimer – Tc, Cory, Palermo, Bobby, Jamie, Russ, Monica all belong to Bill Nuss and the crew of Pacific Blue. The Jovis family & friends belong to me but were made up and do not resemble anybody living or dead. The scenario is false, untrue and completely fictional and does not resemble anything past or present.  
  
Note – This is the best fan fic I have ever written! Enjoy!  
  
Timeline – It's pretty self-explanatory.  
  
Matters of Pride  
Christy Maguire  
  
  
Tc again looked at the picture in the file. A normal happy family photograph taken a year before the event that still threatened two of their lives. Charlotte and Sarah Jovis hadn't been seen since for three months now and hope was long past running out.  
  
The lieutenant looked down from the window in his office and bit back his frustration at seeing Neil Jovis, the father of Charlotte and husband of Sarah, as he strolled into the firehouse. He'd been a regular here since he lost his family.  
  
Tc's annoyance did not lie with the man directly, instead with the case file that lay on the desk before him. He didn't know how it was possible for two people to disappear without a trace.  
  
Sarah Jovis had taken her two daughters, ten-year-old Charlotte and six-year-old Jessica, for a day of shopping in the heart of Los Angeles. After the previous night's downpour the weather seemed to have cleared and the water on the roads had dried. It didn't, however, stop the Jovis's tomato coloured Sedan from slipping from the road, again, without a trace, and into the woods where it was found wrapped around a tree.  
  
But this was no ordinary traffic accident. There was only one piece of evidence at the scene to the whereabouts of this young family, a single shoe print left by Jessica in the mud. There wasn't any blood to suggest foul play, there weren't any fingerprints to suggest abduction, just a single print suggesting that Jessica had wandered away from the site after the crash.  
  
The car had also been stripped of everything personal except a bottle of hair-straightener found in a cavity of the boot.  
  
Jessica had eventually stumbled onto the property of a woman who lived nearby and was soon re-united with her father but not before some serious questioning by Tc and by Jamie who was also assigned to the case.  
  
Jessica, unfortunately, couldn't or wouldn't give them any leads or answers, just more questions. She's said she had been asleep since just after the family left Santa Monica and woke up when an ant had bitten her. No one knew why she hadn't been woken by the crash which had then led to questions about the size of the ant.  
  
Nothing in this case made sense. The only avenue not investigated was that maybe the mother had wanted to disappear though no one knew why. Everybody spoken to said Sarah had been a devoted and loving mother and wouldn't dream of leaving her child and husband. Maybe then it had been a mistake to leave Jessica but why then didn't they collect her from the car? And as they could have only left the car before it crashed, how did it manage to steer another 300 metres along the track before finally coming into contact with the tree and why hadn't Jessica felt the impact?  
  
What made this case even more annoying for Tc was the fact that he was a strong believer in 'someone had to have seen something'. On a highway to one of the busiest cities in the world, where there are at least twenty people per square inch at any given time, surely there could have been a least one person who saw something. He found it hard to believe that nobody had seen the car leave the road with the unique colouring and all.  
  
Tc sighed and tossed the file into his In tray which was growing more crowded by the minute and made his way down the stairs.  
  
Neil Jovis stood next to the front desk with his hands in his pockets looking extremely nervous as he did everyday. 'Any luck?' He asked as Tc approached.  
  
Tc just shook his head. 'Nothing.' He said as he watched Neil's eyes dart around the room.  
  
Both he and Jessica had been through multiple interrogation sessions and had turned up nothing. They had both said that their home was happy and knew of no one who would want to cause them harm but stopped short at taking a lie detector test.  
  
Tc had even been able to obtain a warrant to search the Jovis's premises for clues to the disappearances but nothing turned up. All the while though Neil had stayed nervous and even a bit annoyed. Tc couldn't piece it together. After Cory had given birth to his child four months ago he could think of nothing more terrible than losing his beloved family, evident by the fact that Cory still hadn't set foot in the firehouse.  
  
Tc let the conversation hang in the air a little. This made Neil even more nervous. It had even caught the attention of some of the other officers in the room who exchanged knowing looks with each other and looked at Tc with anticipation.  
  
Eventually Neil gave a polite, or anxious smile, said a brief goodbye and left without another word. All eyes were on him though and all thinking the same thing.  
  
'He's hiding something, Tc.' Jamie said as she came and stood beside him. 'Everybody here thinks so too.'  
  
'I know but what it is and why?' Tc replied breaking his gaze from the strange little man.  
  
Jamie thrust a piece of paper at Tc. 'I mean it's not as if he's got something to hide. He's never been in trouble in his life.'  
  
The background check was brief. No major or minor offences; there weren't even traffic fines to speak of.  
  
'Ms Pitts, the guidance officer at the girls' school called. She might have some information for us.' Jamie continued. 'It seemed that Charlotte had problems with schoolwork that were related to lack of sleep and Jessica had similar problems although not as severe. She also seemed to get into fights with the boys for seeming no reason. I've scheduled an appointment with her this afternoon.'  
  
'Domestic violence?'  
  
'I can't say. There were never any bruises on them, well, not visible ones anyway.'  
  
'What about Sarah?'  
  
'I'll call her boss, see what he says.' Jamie frowned. 'From what I remember, he wasn't very helpful last time we talked with him.'  
  
'Well do your best. I have a lunch appointment today that I can't miss.' Tc said, trying to escape further conversation.  
  
It didn't work. The four rookies all followed him back to his office.  
  
'Anyone we know?' Monica asked slyly. As most new parents, Tc and Cory hadn't been having the best of times. The rookies, and especially Monica had taken it upon themselves to line up dates for the two senior offices just in case of a break up.  
  
'Yes as a matter of fact, you do know them.'  
  
'Let me guess, Cory and Lilly.' Russ shook his head. 'Man, you need some variety.' He said and winced when Jamie elbowed him in the gut.  
  
'Well, don't have too much fun without us.' She said. 'And give Lilly a cuddle for me.'  
  
Jamie had grown quite fond of Lilly to the point that she and Monica were joking about her having a baby of her own. It was also noticeable that Russ and Bobby were keeping well out of her way.  
  
  
'Hi, how is she?' Tc peered over the table at the bundle cradled in Cory's arms. He'd met the two for a light lunch at a coffee shop along the pier and wasn't surprised to see Lilly sucking ferociously at a bottle. She'd been a light feeder at birth, worrying her parents and many doctors and nurses. Now, however, she was rarely seen not feeding.  
  
'Hungry, as usual. How's work?'  
  
'Busy, as usual.' Cory just nodded. Tc was trying to stay detached from her in case their fragile relationship took a turn for the worst. It seemed though that his remoteness was only contributing to the pair's problems.  
  
He'd also refused Cory entry to the station since her departure on maternity leave. This didn't help the situation either.  
  
'So when can I start earning my own income again?' She asked provocatively knowing only two well that the subject would cause stress.  
  
'You know my answer Cory and I'd appreciate it if you'd trust me.'  
  
'Oh, I have no trouble trusting you, just understanding the reasoning behind some of your situations.'  
  
'Like what?' Tc asked with a frown.  
  
Cory looked up from the child. 'Like by you not allowing me to work, I am developing a better relationship with missy here than you are and you and I aren't seeing as much of each other as we really should if we are going to make this work. I need you Tc but I hardly ever see you.'  
  
'I'm here now aren't I?'  
  
'Here is not the place to be experimenting with different aspects of our relationship.'  
  
'We tried that once Cory and look where it got us.'  
  
'With a beautiful daughter. I certainly have no regrets about it.'  
  
Tc looked at his child. He'd regretted it at first but now… 'I'm sorry Cory, but things really have been busy at the station. The Jovis case still hasn't been solved and we are no closer to solving it then we were two months ago.'  
  
'So why keep it going?'  
  
'I don't know.' Tc said and slumped back in the chair. 'I guess I just don't like seeing a family break up that way, or anyway for that matter.'  
  
Cory sighed. 'You want my advice? Look beyond the evidence. It hasn't helped. Why would a mother run away with only one child?'  
  
'That's what I'd like to know.'  
  
'Desperate people do desperate things Tc. Maybe he was having an affair.'  
  
'So why did Sarah only take Charlotte? What about Jessica?'  
  
'Maybe she didn't want it to be too obvious.' Cory said moving the fussing child to her shoulder for burping.  
  
'I don't understand it.'  
  
'You aren't supposed to. However, you are supposed to be a father.' Lilly was passed over the table to her father.  
  
Tc held the child out in front of him. 'How could anyone abandon a child? Especially if they were anywhere near as cute as you.' He cooed to the baby.  
  
Cory smiled. 'Now that's the Tc Callaway I like to see. You don't suppose he has any time free in the near future?'  
  
'He'll be free tonight.'  
  
'He'd better be. I'm cooking his favorite dish.'  
  
Tc grinned and passed the baby back to her mother. 'I've got to get back. I have an appointment this afternoon with Jamie and a guidance officer at the district school.'  
  
'Okay then, I'll see you later.'  
  
Tc moved over to where Cory was sitting and kissed her gently on the forehead before leaving.  
  
  
Tc watched as Jamie examined her fingernails for the fifth time that afternoon as they waited to see the guidance officer who'd been called away on an emergency.  
  
'I wonder if she had anything to tell that we can use. A lot of kids have trouble sleeping then concentrating on school the next day.'  
  
'Yes but not all those kids end up going missing.' Jamie said looking up from her nails. 'And not all those kids beat up on the boys in their class.'  
  
'Sorry to have kept you waiting Mr Callaway. Please, follow me.' Ms Pitts had met Tc on an earlier visit to the school for the Stranger Danger Week talks with students and it seemed she had an excellent memory.  
  
Tc avoided Jamie look of surprise as the three wandered down the hallway.  
  
'Usually what students tell me is kept strictly confidential, however in the case of Charlotte, with her life being in danger, I have been given permission to give information.' Ms Pitts said as they reached the office.  
  
She motioned the two officers to sit before taking a seat herself and introducing herself to Jamie.  
  
'Carolyn Pitts, and you are?'  
  
'Officer Jamie Strickland. We spoke earlier.'  
  
'I thought it might have been you but I wasn't sure. Now, what do you two need to know?'  
  
Tc gave a sideward glance to Jamie before speaking. 'Anything about the Jovis girls and their parents would be appreciated. We can't go into too many details about the case but we've ruled out an accident yet not discovered a motive.'  
  
Carolyn nodded. 'Well I'll leave the detective work up to you. I think it was Charlotte's homeroom teacher that came to me first about Charlotte's lack of concentration in class after she fell asleep during Maths one day. I then went to Charlotte's other teachers and asked them how she'd been fairing and they'd said she was tired and unenthusiastic which was not in her character.  
  
I talked to Charlotte and she said she couldn't sleep because she missed her father and her mother snores loudly.'  
  
'Where was her father?' Jamie asked jotting down notes.  
  
'He was employed as a pilot at the time. I think he works pilot trainer now but at the time he was in the air a lot.'  
  
'Could that be why she wasn't sleeping properly? She just missed her father.' Tc asked, still not believing that Sarah had taken her child.  
  
'Well at first I thought so too but then I had a chat with Jessica and she said that her mother made strange noises at night, and not just snoring. She said that her mother cried a lot at night.'  
  
'Didn't the girls ever go and see what was wrong?'  
  
'Jessica did once and found her father in bed next to her mother but her father was supposed to be away that night.'  
  
Jamie looked at Tc who shifted uncomfortably on his chair. He hated the idea of broken families, especially since his own parents had decided to separate.  
  
Carolyn continued. 'Jessica was in first grade at the time so she wasn't aware of what was going on exactly but I think that Charlotte had a fair idea. She was always very mature for her age. She even had her hair permed by the time she started preschool. It has grown out now but it was very curly and looked very natural on her.'  
  
'What about Jessica?'  
  
'No, her hair was always very straight.'  
  
'No, I mean what was her maturity like.'  
  
'She was always her father's child. Sarah was almost always seen with Charlotte and Neil was almost with Jessica. It was hardly ever that they switched.'  
  
'And what about Neil and Sarah. What were they like together?' Jamie asked. Tc looked at her and wondered what she'd caught on to.  
  
'Neil always admired Sarah and was really quiet around her. Sarah was more sociable and approachable whereas Neil preferred to keep to himself unless Sarah was talking to someone. Then he was very overbearing. I never really understood it myself. I've known their family for years, even before the girls were born.'  
  
'What was Sarah doing before Charlotte was born?' Jamie again asking a question.  
  
'I think she was an airhostess. She complained a lot because Neil wanted her to be on his flights and she didn't like the idea.'  
  
'Do you know why?'  
  
'She said he would be very distracting for them to work together but I always thought it went deeper than that, like she didn't want him getting in the way of a promotion or something.'  
  
There was a knock on the door of the office and a child poked their head around the corner.  
  
'Just a moment Joel.' Carolyn said before turning her attention back to Jamie and Tc. 'I'm sorry, Monday is very busy for me.'  
  
'That's fine.' Jamie said. 'I think we have got enough information. Thanks for you help.'  
  
Carolyn smiled and saw them to the door before having a talk with Joel.  
  
When they were a safe distance away from the office Tc asked, 'What was that all about? I had some question for her.'  
  
'I have the answer Tc!' Jamie said excitedly.  
  
'I'm sure, but I would have liked you to check with me first.' Tc said rather annoyed.  
  
'No, think about it. Carolyn basically said that Sarah was having an affair. Charlotte said that Sarah snored loudly but Jessica said that she cried.'  
  
'So, she had a breathing difficulty.'  
  
'No! I'll show you.' Jamie put on hand on her chest and started breathing heavily. 'Now add a moan or two in with that, coupled with an affair and I think you know what I am talking about.'  
  
'So what? She was adulterous. What has that got to do with the case?'  
  
'Neil was a pilot so Sarah had plenty of time for male counterparts. Charlotte had a natural perm when she started preschool. Now her hair is straight. That's just it Tc. The bottle of hair-straightener they found in the car. Sarah used it on Charlotte because if you'll look at the family photo, both parents have straight hair.'  
  
'She could have used in on herself.'  
  
'So why does Charlotte have a change in hair curliness then? And why does Jessica have dead straight hair?'  
  
'She could have taken after her father.'  
  
'Only because Charlotte doesn't.'  
  
'What?'  
  
'Tc, work with me. Charlotte isn't Neil's daughter. She is a result of an affair Sarah was having while she was an airhostess. Sarah is probably a member of the mile high club and that's why she didn't want Neil on her flights.'  
  
'Why though?'  
  
'Well, she has a very sociable nature. Maybe Carolyn took that the wrong way and meant the she was a flirt. She did say things that she didn't speak Tc.'  
  
'Okay, so Sarah took Charlotte because she didn't want Neil finding out about Charlotte's father, whoever he is, but why did Sarah dump Jessica?'  
  
'Because she didn't want to make it too obvious. If she'd disappeared with both girls we would have known that she'd taken them, not that she was presumed kidnapped herself.'  
  
'Maybe we will have to talk with Sarah's old boss. Did you get time to talk to her current one?'  
  
'No, sorry. Russ was fooling around with Bobby and somehow managed to get his hand stuck down a drainpipe. We only just got it out before you came back from lunch. By the way, how is Lilly?'  
  
'A lot better off than Charlotte and Jessica.' Tc said thankfully.  
  
  
Cory rolled her eyes at the man sitting across the table from her. He had been picking at his food and/or staring into space the entire meal.  
  
She knew there was only one way to get some attention other than taking off her top. Instead, she slammed her fist down hard on the table.  
  
Tc jumped. 'What did you do that for?'  
  
'You lied.' She said. 'You told me that Tc Callaway would be free tonight. He hasn't even touched his dinner yet.'  
  
Tc sighed. 'Today was a breakthrough. We found out almost all the information we needed to know, except for their whereabouts.'  
  
Cory rolled her eyes again. 'If you stop searching the answer will jump out at you.'  
  
'I don't believe in fate.'  
  
'You should. Think about it. If Palermo hadn't left, you wouldn't have made lieutenant, I wouldn't have made sergeant and Chris wouldn't have left. We wouldn't have slept together and Lilly wouldn't have been born.'  
  
'And if he hadn't left, I wouldn't be stuck with a case I can't solve.'  
  
'So give him a call. He would love to hear from you, Tc. He used to love teaching you new things.'  
  
'I don't know Cory. He'll think I'm really stupid and I can't handle being a lieutenant.'  
  
'What is better, pride or a decent night's sleep?' Cory said rising because she could hear the Lilly's tiny whimpers in the next room. 'I know which one I'd prefer.'  
  
Tc watched as Cory left the room. Gone were the days when they could just sit and talk. More often than not now it was a fleeting remark as they passed each other in the kitchen of a morning.  
  
She was right though. Tony would like Tc to come to him with a problem like this.  
  
Tc made a quick calculation of the time difference as he punched in his friends phone number.  
  
'Ciao.' Came a cheery voice on the other end of the line.  
  
'Tony, what are you doing awake?' Tc said, now realizing it was in the early hours of the morning in Italy.  
  
'Waiting for a call.'  
  
'Oh.' Tc started apologizing.  
  
'Don't worry, we just hung up. So what's the problem?'  
  
'Well, it's a case I'm working on…'  
  
'What?' Tony asked sarcastically. 'The great Tc Callaway is asking this old man about case he's working on?'  
  
'You know, with age comes experience so you must be pretty experience by now.'  
  
Palermo laughed. It felt good to joke around again. 'Okay, spill the fagiolos.'  
  
Tc spent the next two hours on the phone with Tony before he got the answer he was looking for. Then they spent another two hours catching up on news. By the time he managed to stumble into bed, Cory was already fast asleep with Lilly cradled in the crook of her arm.  
  
As he was changing for bed Tc received a brain wave. Sarah worked for a company called R. J. Houston which had been in operation for a little over a year now selling electronic equipment for airplanes and had been given an award outstanding achievement because of its youth and management. Previously, Sarah had worked for World Class Air. So much he had found from Jamie. So much more he could find out on the company's web page.  
  
It took Tc all of five minutes to find what he wanted.  
  
  
R. J. Houston was founded by Riley Julian Houston in June of 1999…yadda, yadda, yadda… who had previous experience as a pilot with World Class Air from 1987 to 1997.  
  
  
Tc checked his briefcase. It didn't surprise him that the Jovis file was in there. I didn't surprise him either to find that Charlotte's middle name was Julia.  
  
It didn't tell him exactly why Sarah had run away and it didn't tell him where the two missing persons were though a quick check in the phone book told him otherwise.  
  
As Tc snuggled himself under the covers that night, next to his girlfriend and baby, he breathed a sigh of relief. Another child is that much closer to being found and he is that much closer to getting a full night's sleep.  
  
  
Neil Jovis was the first thing Tc saw as he walked through the doors of Pacific Blue late the next morning. The next was who Neil was talking to, Jamie.  
  
He strolled up to Bobby, giving him some quick instructions before heading over to where Jamie and Neil were talking. 'Neil, could I see you for a minute in my office. Officer Strickland, you can accompany us.'  
  
Neil gave a wild look around the station to sus-out any means of escape before slowly making his way towards the stairs.  
  
'You mind telling me what's going on?' Jamie asked as she and Tc followed Neil.  
  
'You'll find out.' He said cryptically.  
  
  
Bobby watched the three head into the office from his place at his desk. He had no idea what was going on and by the looks of things, neither did Jamie.  
  
He shook his head and rang the phone number Tc has given him.  
  
A girl answered. 'Houston residents, Charlotte speaking.'  
  
Bobby quickly hung up the phone as per Tc's orders and breathed a sigh of relief. Charlotte was alive and seemed to be okay, if not a bit daunted by the task of answering the telephone.  
  
  
'How happy were you and your wife?' Tc asked Neil for what seemed the hundredth time in the past two months.  
  
'Very happy, why?' Neil answered as he always did.  
  
'I wouldn't have thought so since your wife ran away.'  
  
'What?' Neil said startled. 'Sarah didn't run away.'  
  
'So it was a mutual decision?'  
  
'Not according to your girlfriend. She said that you two had been wanting to separate since before Charlotte was born.'  
  
'That's ridiculous. I love my daughter.' Neil said, his eyes darting around the room.  
  
'Okay Neil.' Tc said. 'I'll play it straight. You and Sarah were married when you were both still quite young and after the ceremony, you'd realized that it was a mistake. You didn't realize however that Sarah felt the same way and before long it was too late to get an annulment. That's when both you and Sarah started seeing other people in the hope that the other would find out and ask for a divorce so you didn't have to. Unfortunately for Sarah though, she became pregnant as a result of the affair and you couldn't bear the responsibility of leaving your pregnant wife. Does this seem right so far?'  
  
Neil looked angrily at Tc. 'You don't know anything. Sarah didn't leave me. Something has happened to her and you just can't be bothered finding out what.'  
  
'Actually, I already have, but, you already know where she is. You just didn't want to tell anybody else.'  
  
'That's crazy!'  
  
Tc ignored Neil and carried on with Jamie sitting forward in her seat, hanging on to his every word. 'After Charlotte was born, you carried on seeing your girlfriend and Sarah, her boyfriend, even though you two were still playing family and gradually you both became attached to Charlotte and neither of you would give her up so you kept on with the charade until Jessica and although you love Jessica and Charlotte the same, you decided to get rid of your wife once and for all, with her taking her lover's child with her and you keeping Jessica. The only problem was how would you manage to get rid of Sarah? Then, you and your girlfriend and Sarah and her boyfriend managed to devise a plan so great that it was foolproof. However, you didn't count on the fact that I'm not a fool Neil, and I have figured out your little plan.'  
  
'I don't know what you are talking about.' Neil said frantically and got up to leave.  
  
'Sit down Mr Jovis.' Jamie said and gave him a rough helping hand back to his seat.  
  
'Sarah and Charlotte are safe and sound with Charlotte's father and Jessica has remained with you. This whole game can come to an end.'  
  
This was the last straw for Neil. He jumped out of his seat and exited the office, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Jamie just looked at Tc. 'How did you do it?'  
  
Tc leant back in his chair and grinned. 'Carolyn Pitts, Jovis's girlfriend helped quite a lot. I saw her again this morning. She's probably the only adult of this saga with a conscience.'  
  
Jamie shook her head. 'Then how did you know where to find Sarah and Charlotte?'  
  
'Carolyn confirmed what the phone book didn't. Sarah had met Julian when Sarah and Carolyn were working as airhostesses together. Julian was the pilot. Sarah then introduced Carolyn to Neil as a Christmas party and that's when the affairs started. Now both Sarah and Neil work for Julian and Carolyn keeps an eye on the children at school.'  
  
'So we got dragged into this all because Neil and Sarah were too proud to admit a failed marriage. Can we charge them with something?' Jamie asked with a frown.  
  
'I'm working on it. First thing first though.' Tc frisbeed the Jovis file over the desk to Jamie. 'Someone has to write up the report.'  
  
Jamie jaw dropped. 'Why me?'  
  
Tc grinned. 'Because, I have a lunch appointment with Cory and Lilly.' He smirked at Jamie and left.  
  
  
Tony Palermo was checking his email that afternoon with a hope that Tc had written back. They had been writing to each other daily since their phone conversation a week ago and Tc still hadn't told him how the case had gone.  
  
  
You were right.  
Thanks Tenente :-)  
  
  
The message was short but sweet. The attachment was even sweeter. It was a picture of Cory, Lilly and a very proud Lieutenant Tc Callaway.  
  
  
Author's Note: Thank you for reading my fic. Please review.  



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